When volunteers make the world go around

Omoyemi Timson

Perhaps left to Omoyemi Timson alone, she will always pick the current 20 volunteers that she’s been working with at the Accra AfrEA conference for all other tasks. “These volunteers have performed beyond my expectation,” she told Reportage during her coffee break last Thursday. “They have been extremely pro-active and I have received a lot of commendation on their behalf from participants.

As conference Administrative and Research Assistant, Yemi has been directly responsible for ensuring that volunteers play their roles well to guide participants “to get what they want or to tell them how to do

without them.” She attributed the successful performance of her volunteers first to their passion for being hospitable and second, to the daily briefing and de-briefings that

they receive.

On the first day, she said, they were a few hiccups here and there but by the mid-morning break, everyone had found their rhythm and things were cruising smoothly. Having been a volunteer herself at a number of conferences, Yemi places considerable premium on briefing at which volunteers are encouraged to indicate and migrate towards their natural leanings. “So by the end of our last meeting, we knew who was best at doing what and in no time we were good to go,” she said. She was particularly impressed with the manner in which each volunteer was willing to step in for another whenever any of them was not available.

With regard to time management, Yemi said that they fared well. “Of course, there were a few times that a volunteer was late because of one thing or another but on each of these occasions, other volunteers covered for them admirably.

Yemi was also happy about the good relationships the volunteers have built among themselves. “We are like one big family and whenever work was over, we chat and laugh together. I’m glad everything has come this well.